Our Correspondent
TINSUKIA: Tinsukia College, a premier educational institution in Upper Assam, is plunging into deep crisis after in-charge Principal and DDO of the college, Rana Kumar Changmai resigned from the post following some controversy over the publication of college magazine even as his term is expiring on August 31. It further compounded after an applicant filed a writ petition before Gauhati High Court that temporarily stayed the appointment of permanent Principal in the college.
Unprecedented in the literary circle of the college, two sets of college magazine Manisha were published. While one was the usual multilingual, the other one was in Hindi and the latter created controversy. Contrary to Changmai’s claim that he was ignorant, the magazine secretary said in a meeting of frontline student organizations, in presence of the college governing body president and others, that the Principal was made known about the publication. Though it was asked that the Hindi version of the magazine should be withdrawn from circulation, the rift between the Principal and teachers’ association escalated as the latter was blamed of abstaining the meeting even as the teachers’ body was not invited. The aggrieved teachers, in a memorandum to the governing body president, expressed no-confidence on the present incumbent Principal.
While Changmai has been requested by the governing body president to continue till August 31, the i/c Vice-Principal, Dr Bandana Puzari will be asked to accept triple charges like i/c Principal, DDO and secretary of the governing body, said Dileep Kumar Kalita, the governing body president, adding that the situation might arise to appoint a senior teacher as DDO as per DHE circular G(B)AC/95/2015/6 of 17.9.2015 in case Dr Puzari declined.
Dr Akhilesh Kumar Gupta, who filed a writ petition, was one of the applicants for the Principal’s post but his candidature was rejected by the screening committee of Dibrugarh University as he did not fulfil the eligibility criteria. Gupta was rejected earlier too in four other colleges. According to few college staff, Gupta filed the petition at the behest of some vested interest to create anarchy in the college. The post of the Principal fell vacant after controversial principal Dr Bhuban Gogoi retired, whose pension formalities were held up by the college governing body due to alleged financial irregularities.